Start your own company
Start your own pool service company in Florida
Nearly every backyard in Tampa Bay has a pool, and every one of them needs the same thing on a schedule: clean water, balanced chemistry, and someone who shows up. Florida doesn't require a state license to run a pool cleaning route, the route itself compounds into a subscription business almost by accident, and the tooling to start is a net, a test kit, and a truck. Here's the whole path, in plain English — and when you're ready, the Blue Trade Alliance is built to send booked jobs to owners exactly like you.
What it takes
What it takes in Florida
Define your services — and know the legal line
Weekly and bi-weekly cleaning routes, chemical balancing and testing, green-to-clean recovery, filter and salt-cell cleaning, and BASIC maintenance repairs — o-rings, baskets, gauges, timer resets — are all yours without a state license. The hard line: pump or motor replacement, heater work (gas or electric), pool electrical (lights, wiring, bonding), leak detection and repair, resurfacing or remodeling, and installing NEW major equipment belong to a licensed Certified Pool/Spa Contractor (CPC). No exceptions, no "just this once." Cleaning yes, repairs need a CPC.
Register your business with Sunbiz
File an LLC with the Florida Division of Corporations at sunbiz.org. It's an online filing, the fee is a bit over a hundred dollars, and approval usually comes back within a few business days. The LLC puts a legal wall between your business and your personal savings.
Get your EIN from the IRS
A federal Employer Identification Number is free, takes minutes on the IRS website, and lets you open a business bank account and file taxes as a company instead of running everything through your Social Security number.
Pick up your local business tax receipt
Most Florida counties and many cities require a business tax receipt (the old "occupational license") to operate there. Check with your county tax collector and your city — in Tampa Bay that can mean both. It's usually a short application and a modest annual fee.
Carry general liability insurance
Not required by the state for pool cleaning work — but treat it as non-negotiable. You're handling chemicals in someone's backyard, working around a body of water, and letting yourself into a fenced pool area while they're not home. Liability coverage is the difference between an apology and a lawsuit. Many customers, and the alliance, will ask for proof.
Set up your route and chemical supply line
Pool service is a route-and-materials business: a reliable test kit, chlorine and the other core chemicals bought at trade prices, and a route/scheduling system that tells you who's next and what each pool needs. Open an account with a pool-supply distributor so you're not buying chemicals retail, and pick route software or even a simple spreadsheet before your fifth customer, not your fiftieth.
A BTA specialist walks you through every one of these steps, on the phone, in order — you never file anything alone.
Our specialists walk you through the steps and point you to the right agencies — they don't give legal, tax, or insurance advice. For decisions about your specific situation, talk to your own attorney or CPA.
Information reviewed July 2026
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